Roads not taken
by fanmind
Summary: "So you nearly drowned, fell in love with a snake, angered the god of war, started a feud between kingdoms, and almost got eaten. And by dawn we ll be executed. I was right when I told you to avoid that woman, Sanji," Zoro muttered. "All the hardships we face are nothing, if I can help a lady in distress. Besides, the monkey told me hell isn t as bad as people say." Medieval AU
1. Chapter 1

**_A_uthor´s note: Before beginning, I´d like to point out a few things to new readers to this story...**

**Firstly, the short dialogue in the summary is from the final parts of the story. Which means, if you´ve read that, you already know what is going to happen to the main characters, Sanji and Zoro. But you don´t know how it´ll happen, or why. That´s basically what this story is about. Sanji is the main pov-character, but other pov:s will sometimes appear. **

**Secondly, this is an AU. Most of the themes of the story are from the northern Song dynasty of China (or in some cases the corresponding era in Japan) which for examlpe include clothing, technology, monetary system, and culture. **I´ve researched it to get it as accurate as I can. All named** characters are from One Piece. They differ in various ways from their manga counterparts, but of course still resembles them somewhat. The world is entirely fictional.**

**Thirdly (and most important), the words written in italics are thoughts of the pov-character. The exception from this are the first part, or introduction of the story (which is also another plot reveal). If you find it confusing, tell me.**

**Lastly, although I marked this story as fantasy and adventure, there will be romance in this story. It´s a very vital part of the plot. I won´t reveal any pairings yet, though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

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><p>Chapter 1.<p>

_Once upon a time, there was a kingdom, whose people had suffered by engaging in warfare during many decades. From the ashes of war, a new leader stepped up. The king, young but wise beyond his years, signed treaties with, and gave up land to other countries. The people could finally live in peace. But in his struggles to end the fighting between men, the king was blind to another threat to the peace - the antics of the gods._

_In the 29th year of his reign, the king, going by the name of Riku, was one night visited by the same God that was worshipped throughout the kingdom. At first believing he was dreaming, he listened to God´s words. God told him of one specific action that had furied both the gods in heaven and the demons in hell, and that war was inevitable._

_Terrified, king Riku begged God for help. God promised to cease the suffering of the kingdom in the upcoming war. In exchange for this, three persons had to be killed. Those three were a prince, gone into exile; a ruthless demon, wandering the earth; and finally, a selfish immortal, who only acted in his own interests. Those were all very powerful, even compared to the gods._

_Believing God´s story, king Riku started assembling his troops and recruiting new soldiers. This angered the people, who believed the times of war had ended. Despite all the years of prosperity, the people developed a hatred towards the king. The king understood that the only way to stop an uprising was with the help of God._

_The king decided to hold a tournament, open for everyone to attend, to find warriors powerful enough to take down God´s three enemies. All he needed, was to have a prize valuable enough to appeal to even the strongest fighters. Sadly, his kingdom was not very wealthy after giving up land, and there were no such treasure in it. The only chance was finding one of the legendary, magical fruits, which grants great benefits to whoever eats it._

_The king was suddenly smitten by a mysterious disease, and couldn´t search for the fruit himself. Performing the task would require someone both brave and noble; brave, to manage the dangerous trip; and noble, to bring the fruit back without taking it for himself._

_This is the story of Sanji, a regular, poor man who would get dragged into the midst of the conflict. His low-profiled life was about to change forever.  
><em>

_It was a regular, sunny day..._

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><p>"Hey, are you really a fisherman?"<p>

"Of course. I´m a professional."

"Hmm." The boy was sitting at the wooden wharf, built by the edge of the lake. He watched, as the man in the boat was working with his fishing net. It was tangled together in a mess, and water was still dripping from it, as he had just returned from the fishing trip. "But you never catch any fish. Even though you´ve been here many days."

"That´s ridiculous. Where did you hear that?" Sanji asked.

"Everyone say that."

"It´s not only important how much fish you catch. You have to know what species your customers like to eat. In this village, the fish called sturgeon isn´t very popular, but salmon is. I throw back fish that will be hard to sell."

"I like sturgeon."

"Really? Have you tasted it?" That type of fish wasn´t very common.

The boy looked thoughtful, and by his silence, Sanji understood he hadn´t. "Noo, but… I want to. If you catch one, can I have it?"

"I don´t give away fish for free. But if you really want to know what it tastes like, I let you taste it."

The boy smiled. "Will you catch one tomorrow, then?"

"Sure, sure. Hey, don´t you have anywhere else to be?"

The boy pouted his lips. "Mama wants me to go to the tailor again. Says I´m growing. But I like these clothes!" He pointed at his jacket.

"Your mother are buying you new clothes? That´s great, don´t you think? She´s probably waiting, though."

"Maybe." The boy didn´t look too happy, but stood up. "Bye, Sanji."

"Good luck."

As the boy no longer was within sight, Sanji let go of the net, frustrated. This was the third net that had gotten holes in it by underwater cliffs or seagrass, and he couldn´t keep on buying new ones.

When he had arrived to the village, Dayu, for the first time, and asked around for jobs, he had learned there weren´t many fishermen. In fact, there was only one, and he was old and would retire soon. The villagers, used to mostly eating meat, paid good money for the occasional fish. It was the opportunity that Sanji needed.

He hadn´t expected fishing to be so difficult, though. He told himself it was because of the environment of the lake. No matter the reason, he needed to learn fast. His purse was getting emptier by each day.

He loosely tied the boat to the wharf, before starting on his way back to the village.

Most of the villagers were either farmers or hunters. Occasionally, merchants would travel from larger towns to the distant village, but almost no one chose to stay.

That was both good and bad. It was hard to come by some wares, but the rather poor village didn´t catch the interest of bandits.

_Although _if_ outlaws decide to come here to loot, there is no soldiers present to hold them off._

Having only spent about four weeks in Dayu, he didn´t know the names of all the people in the vast village, and he only made short greetings to those he met. He walked to the restaurant that sold the cheapest dishes. He hadn´t eaten yet that day, since he wanted to head out onto the lake as soon as he woke up.

He satisfied with one or two meals a day. The subject of money was always in the back of his mind, pestering him like a stubborn cold. The thought of money made him remember his hunger, which in turn had him wonder how he would get money next. It was a vicious circle, and soon he wouldn´t be able to afford for the food supplies necessary to manage the three-day journey-by-foot to the nearest town. And if he decided to leave Dayu, he would arrive to the town completely out of money, which wasn´t an alternative.

He was stuck in Dayu, and he was becoming one of the most poor. In addition, no parents would marry their daughter away to someone who couldn´t even afford to feed her. He was alone.

He wasn´t in the best of moods as he entered the restaurant.

He sat down at a table in the corner of the room. "Do you have any old bread, or food leftovers?" he almost whispered to the short, fair-looking waiter boy who had been quick to approach him and ask for his order. Sanji recognised his face, but couldn´t remember his name.

The waiter didn't even bat an eyebrow. A request like that wasn't uncommon. "I´ll ask the chef. Please wait here; I´ll be right back."

The restaurant was empty of customers, apart from himself and a woman sitting close to the counter. While waiting, he studied her. She was beautiful in a different, dark way. She had night-black hair tied back in a ponytail. Her clothing was unusual: instead of wearing a shirt and long skirt, she wore a very simple, all-purple kosode, together with a black sash tied around her stomach. Her appearance, and the way she dressed, reminded Sanji of the people in the country where he grew up.

The front door opened, and Sanji let out a curse as he recognised the person walking in. Roronoa Zoro.

He and Zoro had arrived to Dayu at about the same time. That was also the only thing they had in common. While he had tried his luck in fishing, Zoro had joined the pack of hunters. Despite claiming to be inexperienced, he was soon recognised as the best. Those who had accompanied him during the hunting trips, said his senses were as sharp as an animal´s, and there was not a weapon he couldn´t handle better than anyone else.

Now, he carried a bow with his left hand, and had a large, surely heavy sack slung over his right shoulder. His shirt was sleeveless, and the well-developed muscles on his arms flexed in each movement he made. The hunter looked around the room, and as his eyes reached Sanji, a smug grin appeared on his face.

Sanji clenched his teeth, and looked away. That man was too full of himself. It would be beneficial to everyone if someone managed to beat the bastard. Sanji would gladly take him on one day, but right now, he was too hungry.

Zoro dumped the sack on the counter next to the kitchen. It landed with a large thud. The waiter came rushing back out.

"Roronoa! Welcome! Did you bring something to sell today too?"

He nodded curtly in reply. "That´s the meat of two deers and one mountain lion, that I caught this morning. The butcher valued it to 40 bronze coins. Do you have that much?"

"Ah, yes. One moment." The waiter unlocked a box placed under the counter, and then handed him the strings of money.

"Don´t you want to make sure the amount of meat is correct?" Zoro asked.

"Heh, there´s no need for that. We know that you´d never deceive us. You´re the best hunter, but you´re also very honest."

Zoro took the money. "If I´m so great, then surely you can cook these for me for free. I´d like one large bowl of soup." He untied two squirrels hanging from his belt and handed them to the waiter, whose eyes grew large in awe.

"C-consider it done!" The waiter disappeared into the kitchen, mumbling to himself: "5 animals... and in half a day!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. He knew he would have to wait even longer for his order now. But he didn´t fancy the idea of going somewhere else.

The woman, sitting next to where Zoro was standing, spoke. "That was quite impressive, hunter-san," she said.

He eyed her. "Not really." He seated himself at a table, located far away from her, but closer to Sanji.

Sanji saw that the woman kept her eyes locked on Zoro. At first, it would appear that she was feigning interest in him. But her facial expression was thoughful, and almost worried.

Maybe she was intimidated by Zoro´s presence. That was really no surprise; she was a lone woman, and apparently hadn´t met him before. Her eyes shifted to Sanji, and he turned his head away, embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her.

"Do you know her?" he mumbled to Zoro.

"That woman over there? No, not really. But there´s something... strange, about her. I know that she was alone when she arrived here. And she seems to be mostly avoiding everyone. I think it´s best to leave her be." He glanced sharply at Sanji, and, as if hearing what he was thinking, he added: "You´d be wise to stay out of her way as well."

Sanji didn´t know what to say to that.

"Any luck in the lake today?" Zoro asked, now with his regular voice. It was hard to tell if the words were meant to be mocking or not.

"Just as usual," Sanji answered vaguely.

"I saw you when you returned from the beach. You didn´t carry anything, though."

He didn´t answer.

The waiter had emerged from the kitchen again, and heard their exchange of words. "Maybe you chose the wrong fishing spot," he said.

This piqued Sanji´s interest. "Is there any significant waters here, other than the lake?"

The servant nodded eagerly. "There´s a river, yes. About two miles to the east. I´ve seen it once. It´s close to the ocean, and really wide. And deep. If you fall into the water, you´re never getting back up."

Sanji wondered why he hadn´t heard of this river earlier. "If it is that deep, it has to house many fish."

The waiter nodded. "That it must."

"Why isn´t amyone going there, if it´s such a good source of food?" Zoro asked suspiciously.

"You haven´t been here very long, so you wouldn´t know, I guess. It is said that a monster, known as the sea dragon, lives in the river, and attacks whoever gets too close. But it´s just a story, of course." The waiter laughed. "Parents like to scare their children, to keep them away from the dangerous river. A vicious sea dragon sounds more frightening than just a surface of water. But, even though most adults believe the story to be untrue, no one really wants to go there."

"So there is no dragon?" Sanji asked.

"Who knows?" There was a call from the kitchen. "Seems like your soup is done," he told Zoro, and turned to Sanji. "There is no scrapes, I´m afraid." He scurried off.

"What was that about? Don´t you eat any real food?" Zoro asked.

"I´m saving my money, that´s all," Sanji muttered.

_Two miles to the east. I could rent a horse, and return with all the fish I catch. It´s risky, but it might be worth it. _He stood up.

"Are you planning to go there?" Zoro asked. Sanji stopped in midstep, and turned around, crossing his arms.

"Why do you care?"

He smirked. "The animals around here are smallfry, compared to defeating a dragon..."

"Even if there is a dragon, do you really think you could fight it?" Sanji asked doubtfully.

"Maybe, maybe not. I haven´t had a challenge in a while."

Sanji shook his head."Do whatever you want, but I´m travelling alone."

_If Zoro comes with me, the villagers may claim that he was the one responsible for catching the fish. If I don´t get a rumour as being the best fisherman, there´ll be no one willing to buy from me._

He ignored the hunter´s frown and marched out from the restaurant. On the other side of the street was a bakery. Scents guided his feet towards it.

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><p>After asking about more details on getting to the river, stacking up on bottles of water and some rather stale bread, and renting an old pack horse, noon had arrived. Sanji was certain he would reach the river before the evening. He would have to spend the night in the wilderness, but that didn´t bother him at all.<p>

He lied to his friends, telling them that he was going out into the woods to gather herbs. If they knew where he really was going, they might have tried to stop him.

As he led the horse past the village gate, there was one person waiting on him. The foreign woman from the restaurant stood by the side of the road. As he reached her, she stepped forward, placed her closed fists across her chest and bowed. "Good afternoon, fisherman-san."

"Hello." He bowed in response. "Can I help you?"

She returned to her normal posture, but kept her head slightly bowed. "I overheard your conversation with your friends at the restaurant. This might be sudden, but if it isn´t too much to ask, I would like to go to the river as well. I´d feel much safer if there were someone who accompanied me."

"Y-you want to come with me?" His heart beat a little faster.

She nodded. "Yes. I assumed that river is where you´re heading. I have some money to pay you for the trouble of..."

"It´s no trouble! None at all!" Although he´d preferred to travel alone, he suddenly didn´t want to. Zoro´s warning had already left his mind. He was soon by her side. He took her hand and led her towards the horse. "Have you ridden a horse before?"

"Yes, but I´m fine walking. I thank you for the offer though." She pulled her hand free.

Sanji was surprised that she would rather walk, but didn´t ask her why. Just then, he remembered a vital part of meeting someone for the first time. "I forgot to tell you... my name is Sanji."

She smiled faintly. "It´s a pleasure to meet you, Sanji-san. I´m Robin. Nico Robin."

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><p><strong>Author´s note: And that´s the first chapter! Yay! There is a lot of information in it, and not much happened, but that was necessary. In this story, Zoro can use many different weapons, but he still favors the sword. <strong>

**Please post a review, it would be very appreciated!  
><strong>

***Kosode is a Japanese outfit for both men and women. It´s similar to a kimono. The patterns on the kosode usually resembles one of the four seasons (but the one Robin is wearing doesn´t). The sash, also known as obi, is used together with both the kosode and kimono.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author´s note: Some other things I´d like to say...**

**I promised before that every named character in this story will be a One Piece character. I´m still keeping to that promise. But, like many artists and writers do, Eichiro Oda included, I´d like to take inspiration from mythology. You might know what I mean after reading this chapter. I just want to make it clear that these adaptations I make are not the actual characters, just more or less similar interpretations.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

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><p>Chapter 2.<p>

The farther away they got from the village, the more trees appeared around them, and the natural scents of a forest overtook the air. The road was the only sign of human´s presence, but it was almost overgrown. It seemed the waiter was right when he said that almost no one travelled to the river.

Sanji looked to the sky for keeping the right direction. Robin woud occasionally look at the sun, too. She walked across the roots and moss with ease. She was relaxed, and seemed to enjoy the walking.

There was no doubt that she was used to travelling. Sanji wondered who she really was, but he didn´t ask. He remembered Zoro´s words about how she preferred to be alone.

After a while of quiet walking, he was certain that she wasn´t interested in starting a conversation at all. The only sounds being heard was the horse neighing, birds chirping and the wind rustling the trees.

"How far do you reckon we´ve travelled?" he asked, having a feeling she would know. She looked at him, from the other side of the horse, where she was walking.

"I would think we´ll be there soon. Do you want to rest?

He shook his head. "I want to eat some, but we don´t have to stop." He started digging through his bag, finding two pieces of bread. He held out one of the wrapped breads to her. "You want one?

"No," she said, but the way she glanced at the food in his hands told him otherwise. She hadn´t brought anything other than a small bag, and he was doubting there was food within it

"You sure? I don´t want you to be hungry." He kept the bread reached out towards her. "You don´t have to pay me for it," he added.

"I shouldn´t..."

"I insist."

She looked at him, confused. Then she took the bread. "That´s very nice of you. Thank you, Sanji-san."

He was suddenly ashamed. "I´m afraid that bread isn´t of very good quality though. It doesn´t suit a beautiful woman like yourself. But I´m afraid it´s all I have."

"It´s fine." She stared at the bread in wonder, almost as if it was made of gold. "I´m not used to people giving me things." It was the second time he saw her smiling.

"Anything for you, Robin-san!"

She looked up. "San? You´re the only one from Dayu I´ve heard using honorifics like that. Are you from an island country?"

"No!" he immediately replied. "I´m from the mainland. I was born in the south, though. That´s why I speak names like that," he lied.

"I see," she said, nodding in understanding. It appeared she hadn´t been in the southern parts of the country, or she would have seen through his lie.

That, or she was really good at hiding her thoughts.

_I have economical reasons, but why would she want to go to the river the same day that she learned of its existence? And with a stranger, nonetheless. It can´t be because of sightseeing._

What she planned to do was none of his business, though. If she wanted to tell him, she would have. He didn´t ask. Instead, he said: "It´ll be impossible to return to Dayu before nightfall."

"It will. I´m not heading back there, though."

"You´re not?"

"As soon as we arrive to the river, I´m leaving. I... There´s something I need to find."

"Alright." Once again, he avoided asking her any question, even though he had plenty of them.

They spoke no more as they continued on, eating and walking simultaneously. The air has gotten chiller, since evening was approaching. The sun would soon meet with the horizon.

In the distance, there was a sound of water. It grew stronger, and soon they could see the outlines of the river between the trees.

"Do you remember the waiter speaking about a monster living in the river?"

"Yes. Do you think there is a monster, though?" Robin giggled, eyeing him.

"No. But, just to be sure, I´m going ahead to check. I´d rather be safe than sorry. Can you keep an eye on the horse?"

"Certainly."

Sanji felt like an idiot as he neared the river´s surface. He made as much noise as he could. He crouched in the tall grass right next to the surface.

The waiter had been right. The river was enormous. It was hard to even see the land on the other side. Sanji looked into the water. He could see some cliffs under the surface, but most of the water looked like a dark pit.

He remained crouched for a while, holding his knife, meant for cutting fish, in one hand. He picked up a rock and threw it into the blank surface, and waited some more. Nothing happened.

"You can come now!" he called out to Robin. He stood up and brushed the mud off his clothes.

He heard a neighing in the distance, but no woman and horse appeared. Confused, he walked back into the trees.

The horse´s reins was tied to a tree. But Robin was gone. He remembered her saying that she´d leave as soon as they reached the river, but he had thought that she would say goodbye. It was really weird. Also, he felt a little hurt.

"She´s probably fine," he spoke out loud. The horse neighed as if agreeing with him.

He led the horse to the river, letting it drink and feed off the grass. He placed his items under a large tree, and ate the third of five helpings of bread.

He wouldn´t do any fishing before morning, but decided to scout the river. That´s what a good fisherman would do.

He tied the horse loosely to a tree, so that it could continue to drink and eat as it pleased. He started to follow the river downstream, walking down the slope that would eventually meet with the sea.

He came across some parts of the river where there were no cliffs hiding below the surface. The grass spread out in the water would be a problem, but the morning sun should make it easier to spot and avoid the grass. Now and then, he saw a fish jumpnig, and it lifted his spirits; so much so that he started whistling.

_By tomorrow evening, I´ll be able to afford holding a feast._

There was a sound from the forest, and he froze. But it was just several birds flying off treetops. He breathed out in relief. He must have scared them, that was all.

_Sea dragon. How ridiculous._

He climbed up a boulder blocking his path. Thanks to the extra height, he could now see the glittering water of the ocean, far off in the east. It was a view worth enjoying.

A black line obscured the vision. It looked at first like a tree, rising from a cliff. He narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, it moved. He saw the purple cloth, and recognised the woman. Her black hair was caught by the wind. It whirled around her head, whipping the air. She slowly stepped towards the edge of the cliff. The water loomed from below, dark and dangerous.

"No, wait!" he screamed. He slid off the boulder, and hurried towards her, despite knowing he wouldn´t reach her in time. She was too far away. "Don´t!"

She didn´t stop. She didn´t even look at him. She stood right by the edge, only one foot on the ground. Her left foot was raised in the air in front of her.

"Don´t!" he yelled again. Robin´s hair blew back, revealing her face. He saw fear in it. Hope. Sadness. Concentraion. But, above all, determination. Her lips were moving, but no sounds were coming out. She closed her eyes, and leaned forward. "No!"

He hurried down the beach. There were ripples spreading on the water - evidence of where she had landed. Sanji had a brief internal battle within himself, and his conscience emerged victorious. He would try to save her.

He pulled off his shoes and, without further ado, jumped in after her.

The water was not as cold as he´d expected it to be; it was far worse. Pain prickled all over his skin, and his instincts raged on him to get out of the water. But he had enough willpower to not do that.

A stream tugged at him, but it wasn´t strong enough to pull him anywhere. He looked around. The water was surprisingly clear. He could even make out the color of fish that swam beneath him. It wasn´t clear enough to see the bottom, though.

The woman was not too far away from him, floating in the water. Her eyes were seeing, and her arms and legs moved regularly. She wasn´t hurt at all, it seemed. Sanji smiled.

His relief didn´t last for long, though. As he saw that the woman were staring down towards the bottom, he turned his face to see what she was looking at. And saw some creature at the bottom. It was dark, big, and it grew in size as it neared them quickly. Whatever it was opened its mouth, and revealed a set of sharp teeth. Strange, howling sounds emitted through the water, and made him cover his ears. He started to fully panic.

Sanji fumbled in his pocket for the knife, that he used to cut fish, but to his dismay couldn´t find it. He glanced sideways. Robin didn´t move an inch. Suddenly, she turned her face, and spotted him for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise.

_She´s too terrified to move. If I don´t do something, we´re both going to get killed. We can´t both escape, either. But if I distract the monster, she might be able to get away._

He wanted to shake her out of her shock, and tell her to get out of the water. But judging by how close the sea creature had come, it was too late to do that. So he did the opposite: swimming deeper down.

The creature´s dark, horrifying eyes locked at him. Even if Sanji fought, he would end up as the prey, and they both knew it. He dreaded the thought of dying, but suddenly, a calmness spread through his body.

_I had my own principles and beliefs, that I stuck to. I always did what I perceived as right. It ended early, but it wasn´t a bad life._

Something pressed against the back of his neck. He sensed his airway being blocked, and gasped. In a few seconds, his vision blurried. Then, everything went dark.

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><p>Robin was led through the dragon´s residence by a servant. A servant, that was a crab. She was somehow fine with being in a palace built at the bottom of a river, but a talking crab unnerved her.<p>

A giant lobster (a lobster!) opened the door to the throne room for her. She threw some quick glances around, taking in the coral walls and roof, and knowledge that the water was right beyond those. She was mesmerized by the fact that she was still breathing. She walked to the middle of the room, fell to her knees, and lowered her forehead until it touched the ground. She swallowed before beginning to speak.

"O heavenly immortal, Dragon King of the East Sea, the oldest of five brothers, master of all weather, Blue Dragon of the four win..."

"You don´t have to say all my titles. I know them already. And stand up, I can barely hear you when you keep your head down like that."

She felt her cheeks blush, but didn´t let that become her. "This mortal female thank thee for hearing the summoning and allowing this inferior creature entrance into the magnificent palace of thee."

The dragon was sitting on an estrad along one side of the room. His tall body was circled on the large cushion he was laying at. His appearance reminded of dragons described in stories, but he was larger than Robin had thought he would be. The scales looked like dark blue opals. The face, more animal than human, and the grim, dark voice, echoing eerily around the room, made him even more intimidating.

She didn´t look into his eyes. Not only was it extremely rude, but she wasn´t sure she would not faint if she did.

"You don´t have to talk like that, the occasion is not that _formal_. And I´m not sure you´re speaking correct, either." He sighed. "You knew the spell to summon me. How?"

She was surprised but relieved that the dragon wanted to get down to the relevant subject that quickly. "A friend taught me. I made a promise to not mention this friend´s name."

The dragon´s head moved up and down, in what she guessed was a nod. "Why did you summon me?"

She took a deep breath. In, out. "I have come to make a request."

"Oh? What might that be?" She hesitated. The dragon emitted a guttural, deep sound, that might be meant as laughter. "Don´t be shy. I want to know everything."

She made a quick decision. She told him. Everything, that she thought he was interested in knowing. Yet not the things that he didn´t need to know. The dragon king appeared deep in thought as she was done.

"What´s in it for me, if I would decide to help you?" he asked finally.

"I will give you one."

"That´s not enough."

She inhaled deeply. "I´ll tell you how to get there. It will be of great benefit to you."

He was silent for some time. But she had a feeling that he would accept. Even someone who had as much power as he did would certainly strive for more.

"Fine," he halfly spoke, halfly growled. "I accept."

Her heart beat faster. After all these years, she was finally one step closer to her goal. She began to feel worried after hearing the dragon´s next words.

"I know of one place, where there are a lot of books with information that you might need. It´s a tower, not far from here. But a demon lives there."

"A demon lives there?"

"Yes. Well, living would be the wrong word. It´s imprisoned there."

"Wha- I mean, why is it imprisoned?"

"It is rumored that the demon fell in love with a human, and put an enchantment on him to make him willing to marry it. It was too great a violation of the law. The demon was locked in the tower for the rest of its existence."

"Is there a way to get past it?" she asked.

"Well, there might be. The best chance would be to have someone fight, or in some way distract the demon, while you find what you need. No matter what, you mustn´t free it."

"Can you fight it?"

"Maybe, but... I´d rather avoid doing that."

She sighed. "I will find a way to get those books."

"Good. When you do, let me know. Even if I want nothing to do with the demon, I don´t mind showing you how to get there."

She nodded. "I will do that. Thank you."

The room bellowed of the dragon´s weird laughter again. "You´re quite interesting, Nico Robin. Even though you´re a human. I´m looking forward to working with you."

She forced a smile onto her lips. Suddenly, she remembered Sanji, the fisherman who had jumped into the river, trying to save her. "There was a man with me. Where is he?"

"Oh, do you mean the one who tried to attack me?"

She nodded. "I put him into unconsciousness before he did. He is a good person." She hoped he was safe.

"You of anyone should be able to tell if a person is good or evil. Who is he?"

"He is a fisherman."

"He was going to fish in my river?" the dragon growled.

"He isn´t aware of your existence, and who this river belongs to. Also, he is very lousy at fishing. He would never have caught anything. Worry not; I´ll tell him to avoid your river from now on."

"Hm. Fine, then. He is still sleeping. I´ll escort both of you back to the surface"

She bowed. "You have my gratitude."

* * *

><p><strong>Author´s note: I´m glad I got the 2nd chapter up early.<strong>

**Some of you who read this story might know who the azure dragon, aka _Q__ing Long_, aka _A__o Guang_ from Wu Cheng´en´s **_**Journey to the west **_**(great novel btw) is. If you do, please read the an. at the top again, and keep in mind that I do not copy these characters right off the original. The "dragon king of the east" is actually a OP character. And no, it´s not Monkey D Dragon. If you´re interested in Chinese mythology, you might also recognise the "demon in a tower"-part. Personally, that´s one of my favorite stories :)**

**Please leave a review, or send a pm, if you have questions. If you like this chapter or not, if you think it was too short, or is the story too confusing? Any specific pairings you want to see? I promise to reveal one pairing in next update if I get at least one review.**

**Crimsom Fox19: Thank you for reviewing! Glad you like it. I´ll update this story as often as I can.**

**Miaka: Thank you! I´m really happy to hear that :) there will be more plot development... About Zoro and Sanji: I really like their relationship in the manga. I don´t know yet if I´ll make a ZoSan romance, in this story. Considering the plotline, it´s not unlikely that it´ll happen sometime :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

**Author´s note: I had too much fun writing this chapter, so it ended up longer than the others. As promised, I will reveal a pairing for this story. It´s LawxRobin. I think there´s not many fanfictions with this pairing, so I wanted to add it. I apologize in advance if it´s OOC. **

**Warning: This chapter contains smut (I think it´s called that).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3.<p>

Cold water dripped onto his face, startling Sanji awake. He spluttered. Remembering the monster about to attack him, he sat up. He blinked, trying to get used to the light. As he moved, he finally became aware that he wasn´t in water anymore. He wiped his face dry. He was startled when someone spoke.

"I´m glad that you´re awake, Sanji-san."

"Robin?" he asked, recognising the voice. He looked to his right, and saw her smiling gently at him. "What happened? Where is the monster?" He heard a splash, too loud to be caused by a fish, but when he looked towards the river at his left side, there was nothing there. Must have been his imagination.

"Monster? What are you talking about?"

"You saw it too, didn´t you? Did you?"

She sighed. "I´ve heard that, in a near-death experience, one can see strange things which aren´t really real."

"I know what I saw! You tried to kill yourself! And then that _thing _came!" He was almost getting hysterical.

"I tripped, Sanji-san. I didn´t know what to do, or in which direction to swim. When I saw you diving in after me, I got a hold of myself again. But you swallowed too much water, and passed out. I managed to get you out of the water before it was too late, though. Please, calm down."

He tried to slow his breathing. Then he saw that she wasn´t holding a water bottle. She didn´t hold any when he woke up, either. There were no rain clouds in the sky. _Where did the water come from?_

Her clothes were dry. So were his. Suspicion grew inside him again.

_Her story is a lie. She has to be something else than a normal human. A witch, most likely. Just like in the tales, she might know how to make poisons and read minds and cast spells. And curse people. I better get out of here while I can._

He made his body relax, and stood up. "I understand what happened now. I thank you for helping me." He started to back away.

She pierced him with her gaze. "So you´re feeling better now?"

"Yes."

"That´s good to hear. Are you leaving already?"

"Yes. I´m heading back to Dayu. I´ve had more than enough of this place." _And I´m never coming here again._

She nodded. "Goodbye then, Sanji-san. And good luck."

He stopped as he reached the edge of the forest. "Fare well." He turned around and left, walking as fast as he could without making it look like he was fleeing. On his way back to where he left his belongings, he walked only in the forest, keeping a distance to the river.

_All I wanted was to catch something to sell. I almost died, and now I will return home empty-handed. Surely everyone would laugh at me, if they found out._

Sanji sighed. He hoped that tomorrow would be better than this failure of a day.

As he walked, he had some time to cool down, and think clearly. Witches were just made up, they weren´t real. He felt rather stupid, for suspecting that Robin was one.

His bag was on the ground, right where he had left it. The horse, still tied to the tree, stared at him with its large, clear-blue eyes.

He froze. Blue._ Weren´t they brown before?_

He looked at the eyes more closely. They were almost... familiar. A shiver went through his body, and he looked away, shaking his head. He was seeing things because he wad tired. That was all.

It was dark, but he neglected the idea of spending the night anywhere near the river. He would rather get lost in the woods while trying to make his way home.

Luckily, though, it didn´t take him long to find the road that led back to the village. He hurried on his way back there; and the horse trotted briskly next to him, having regained energy after its rest. He stopped once, and filled out his bag with plants, picked at random in the darkness. Everything so that he could stick to his herb collecting-story.

Despite its old houses and dust-filled roads, Dayu was a beautiful sight at the evening. Lanterns were lit in front of almost every house, and many of the residents were outside, enjoying themselves after a hard day´s work. The owner of the stables was sitting at a bench outside his home, smoking pipe.

"Back so soon?" he asked, eyeing him wonderingly.

"Yes. I got what I needed already. Thank you." He held the reins out to him.

The man´s brows furrowed. "You paid to rent the horse until tomorrow."

"Yes, but I don´t need it anymore."

"That might be so. Still, you should keep the horse until morning." Before Sanji could even begin to protest, he continued speaking. "I won´t break a deal involving money."

"Ok, fine. But I can´t promise I´ll take care of it properly, though," he said, hoping the man would change his mind.

He blew out some smoke, his eyes fixed on the horse. "You´re wrong. Eton looks to be in a better shape now, than he did last time I saw him. He truly looks much healthier. You have a good hand with animals, lad."

_Right. Maybe I should start breeding horses instead of fishing. _He snorted.

He returned to his home, leading the black stallion with him. He tied the reins tightly to a pole close to his front door, where there were some grass. He felt weary, and wanted to do nothing but go to sleep. Instead, he went down to the lake.

Among the fishing equipment lying in his boat was a large bucket, which was meant for carrying fish. He rarely used it though, thanks to his bad luck in fishing. He filled it with water, and returned with it to the horse, so that it had something to drink.

He put the bucket down close to the horse. "I hope you won´t freeze," he said. The horse eyed him, very steadily. He swallowed. _Imagination. Just imagination. There´s nothing odd about the animal._ _Dragons, witches, magical horses... It´s all just superstition. And I won´t have anything to do with it, anymore._

He hurried inside his house and slammed the door shut, locking it. After getting out of his clothes, he made sure it was locked once more, before getting into bed.

_I almost died today. It´s not strange that I´m nervous like this. I´ll feel better tomorrow._

* * *

><p>As usual, he woke up early. He removed mold that had appeared on the bread during the night, and ate what was left of the bread to breakfast.<p>

He didn't think of what had happened the previous day, until he was ready to head to the lake. He went outside. He saw the pole. He looked away. Somethimg gnawed at the back of his mind. He looked at the pole again. He realised the horse was missing.

"No!"

A man and woman looked at him from across the street. "Is something wrong?"

"My horse is gone! Someone must have taken it!"

They exchanged glances between each other. "Do you own a horse?"

"Yes! I mean, no. I'm just borrowing it. The real owner is..."

Sanji suddenly understood. _The stable owner must have come here early to get his horse. I should go tell him that he can't just take the horse back without saying anything. It can make anyone panic._

"Forget it. Everything's fine," he told the couple, and then rushed down the street. He reached the stable in less than a minute, and found the man inside, bringing hay to his horses.

"Hey," he said, while panting.

He turned towards him. "Ah, Sanji. Good morning. How is Eton? Did you bring him with you?"

"Did I... wait, what?" _I'm getting a bad feeling about this._

"He's not with you? Do you want me to go fetch him myself?"

"No. It pains me to tell you this, but I'm afraid that your horse is missing."

"Missing?" He crossed his arms. "Explain."

"I tied him to a pole right outside my house. When I came out this morning, he was gone. I'm sorry."

The man lowered his head, and sighed loudly "I see. I want to see the place from where he disappeared."

"I'll show you the way."

Sanji walked back to his house, with the man in tow. They rounded a corner, and he stopped and pointed, while still facing the man. "It was by that pole over there. See?"

He looked at Sanji. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I don't..."

A horse neighed. Sanji slowly turned, and recognised the black stallion, once again neatly tied to the pole. He stood frozen at place, his mouth dropped open, and watched as the horse's owner untied it and led it back towards him.

"It was not funny," he muttered. "I've got work to do. Bye."

Sanji didn't hear him. All he could think about was the brown that surrounded the pupils in the eyes of the horse.

* * *

><p><em>It was dark yesterday. In the darkness, I mistook the horse's eyes for being blue. There is a logical explanation to everything.<em>

He was walking towards the lake, to begin working. Because he almost drowned the previous day, he felt dread at the thought of being near water. But he had to eat.

He arrived to the wharf. He glanced at his boat. He looked out over the lake. The surface was clear and calm.

He snapped his head back, realising something. There was no boat. It, along with his fishing gear, was gone. _This can not be happening_.

It was, though. In an act of pure frustration, he lifted his leg and kicked at the nearest tree. The trunk split in half, incredibly enough. Pain shot through his ankle. "Shit." It didn't seem broken, at least.

He ran back towards the village. Someone was playing tricks on him. And he would not accept it.

His foot hit against something. A book, laying on the road close to the beach. He picked it up. Whoever took his boat might have dropped this. If he found its owner, he would have found the perpetrator as well.

He started asking around as soon as he was back in Dayu. "Have you seen this before? Do you know who owns it? Please help me. A crime has been committed."

Most of the people he approached with his questions only shook their heads at him, saying they couldn't help and mumbling apologies. Finally, he had reached the square in the middle of Dayu. A market was being held there, and many people had gathered.

By now, Sanji was desperate. He climbed up onto a roof, and cleared his throat. "Listen! Everyone, listen!"

The persons closest to the house he was standing at started paying attention to him. Soon, more heads turned towards his direction, and the square went silent.

"I hope you've had a good morning, everyone," he began. "For me, the morning wasn't good. It was very bad, actually. I have fallen victim for two serious pranks. First, the horse I looked out for was taken away, and then returned again. That might not sound that bad. But, when I got to the lake this morning, my boat and all my fishing gear were missing. On the beach, I found this." He raised the book in the air. "I'll return it to its owner as soon as I get my items back!" He crossed his arms, glaring down at the crowd, waiting for someone to speak up.

The villagers were whispering to each other. There was a murmur of voices everywhere. A man, standing close-by, spoke to him.

"Are you a fisherman? I had no idea."

"He's just posing as one. He isn't really working," a woman said.

"That's right! He's really lazy. He even lives in a house for free. Quite the scandal."

"I bet he sunk the boat just to get our compassion and money!"

"Show some respect!" he yelled, but no one listened.

"He harassed me and my friends some days ago," a young girl cried. "Made inappropriate comments."

"He did that to me too!"

"And me!" Angry muttering spread through the crowd.

"Hey, lying is bad for your skin! I only said you looked pretty!" He hoped at least that was the truth.

He looked around at the people, and all he could see was angry faces. _I´m the victim here, not the villain. Why are they acting up like that?_

Something landed on his face. He dried it away from his eyes, and saw it was mud.

"Ha! I hit!" Below, a little boy was jumping in excitement. "Right in his face. Did you see it?" His friends applauded.

"Watch this!" Another kid was holding an egg, and threw it towards him. He bent his head to the side, dodging it.

"You little demons!" he jumped down from the roof, landing next to them. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He grabbed the front of the shirt of the boy, who had thrown the mud. "You should apologise!"

"He's threatening the children!"

"Quick, someone stop him!"

He felt someone grab his shoulder, and waved his arm back, hitting the person with the book he was holding. "Don't touch me."

"He hit an old man! Someone, get a towel!"

"I don't want my children anywhere near that monster again!"

"Take him away from here!"

"What are you..." Someome grabbed onto his arms. He tried to break free, but the crowd surrounded him. He fell. Punches were delivered. He tried to shield himself. He was roughly pulled back onto his feet, and then dragged through the streets, to the relief of the cheering villagers.

The man that had spoken firstly after Sanji's speech, smiled to himself as he watched the crowd leave. "I think I've found our person, Robin." His blue jacket waved around him as he turned, and disappeared into a side street.

* * *

><p>They had the decency to get his items for him. As they threw Sanji onto the road outside Dayu, a man walked up to him and placed his bag by his side. And spat.<p>

"You have no purpose being here. Do never return."

Sanji snorted. "Like I ever would want to."

After they had left, he covered his face with his hands. He had only spent some weeks in Dayu, but he really believed it was a place where he could live the rest of his life. Now, he was left with nothing, just like that time before.

He thought about what the man had said. 'You have no purpose being here.'

_What is my purpose, then? I just want a regular life. Where must I go, to have that?_

He looked towards the sky, as if expecting an answer.

A wind hit his face. It was strong enough to make his eyes water. Something rustled from next to him. The pages of the book, that he´d managed to hold on to, was blowing open thanks to the wind.

He reached for it. The book consisted of childrens´ fairy tales. The wind stopped blowing, and the page that was now revealed consisted of a title for one of the tales. _´The princess in the tower´_.

He browsed the following pages, which also consisted of pictures. It told the story of a blonde prince riding to save a beautiful princess, stuck in a tower guarded by a dragon.

_Very original. _He shook his head. The cover of the book wasn´t ugly. If he reached the next town, he could get some money for it. He discarded the book into his bag.

Looking through his bag revealed there were at least some water there, together with some clothes. To his surprise, he also found a loaf of bread and several fruits. Whoever had done the packing must have symphatized with him a little. The food might last for three days, if he ransomed it.

He had nowhere to go but forward. He didn´t look back at the village as he left. He still couldn´t believe that those who he believed to be his friends, would see him get forced to leave, and do nothing.

He heard a sound behind him, and stopped. Something was clicking against the ground.

_Did the villagers decide to apologise and let me come back? _was his first thought.

His follower reached his side. The horse was now dark blue rather than black in color, but there was no mistaking those eyes.

"Magical horse," he whispered. It waved with its tail, and bent its forelegs, leaning against the ground. Sanji saw that the horse was now saddled. "Wha- you want me to get on?" It stared at him. "I´m going west. There is a town not far away."

The horse blinked, and moved its head up and down.

"Alright, fine. But I want to get there fast. No detours."

He might still be imagining things, but it looked like the horse rolled its eyes.

_This is still very strange. But I think I have nothing to lose, by going with this creature. Everything is already as bad as it gets. _

He sat down in the saddle. The horse stood up, then it took off with amazing speed. Sanji had to lean forward, and hold onto the mane with all his might, to not fall straight off. The forest was a blur of green, as the horse more flew than ran at the ground.

_Guess I´d be there in less than three days._

* * *

><p>After his hunt, Zoro went to the same restaurant as the day before. He only had one fox and two rabbits this day - Yosaku had actually hunted down an animal of his own, so as they shared the prey they caught between them, Zoro gave him most of it. His comrade worked hard enough to deserve a good prey once in a while.<p>

The waiter looked a tad disappointed, but handed him his money.

He thought on what to do next. The soup he had received yesterday didn´t taste very well, and he would rather have lunch somewhere else. But it seemed rude to not buy anything, so he bought a cup of sake.

"It was really awful what happened today, I think," the waiter said. "The poor old man even broke his nose, I heard."

"What happened? Was there an accident?"

"Accident? No, not really. A guy went crazy and started hitting him."

"Oh. What happened to the guy, then?"

"He was kicked out of the village."

"Sounds like he got what he deserved."

"Indeed."

They were silent for a while.

"Have you seen Sanji today?" he asked.

The waiter eyed him. "He was the one who got kicked out."

Zoro coughed. The drink flew out of his mouth, and spread on the table. "What did you say?"

"Don´t worry, I´ll dry it up," the waiter said about the spilled sake. "I think it was good that he left. He was nice and all, but he really was an idiot."

He finished the last of his drink, then slammed the empty mug on the table and stepped towards the door.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I´m going after him, of course."

* * *

><p>As it was, Sanji couldn´t do anything but hold on, as the horse raced across the road. He had no clear idea where they were going, or how much time had passed, when the horse suddenly came to a halt. He was so surprised that he almost fell off.<p>

"I said I wanted to get there _fast_, but I didn´t mean you had to work yourself to death!"

The horse turned its head to lock at him. Its breathing was even, and it didn´t look exhausted at all. Its eyes looked almost hurt.

"Okay, sorry if I offended you. You´re a really good riding horse."

Without warning, the horse lifted its front hooves, rearing from the ground. This time, it caught him completely off guard, and he lost his balance and landed on the ground.

"What did I do now?" he muttered.

_It is really sensitive. And I have to stop takling to it as if it was a human._

He took in the suroundings. The sun was at the center of the sky, so it was probably around lunchtime. The horse had stopped in a glade, in which the forest road ended. Although they were in the middle of nowhere, there was a large house at one side of the road. He read the sign that was hanging above the door. ´_Leifeng Inn´. _It looked very abandoned.

He knocked at the door. Nothing happened. After a while, he opened it, and stepped inside, and found himself in a small room. "Hello?"

He heard something being pulled. He gasped, as he saw the tip of an arrow right in front of his eyes.

"Why are you here? You´ve got five seconds to tell me!" the man holding the crossbow told him.

He raised his hands in front of him, and stumbled for words. "I, um... a witch was... lost the boat... the horse..." He bit his tongue.

"_Why _are you _here?_" the man repeated.

He got a grip of himself. "I´m looking for somewhere to stay."

The man lowered his weapon. "Then you´ve come to the right place. One night, meals included, goes for thirty."

"I´m afraid I don´t have that much," Sanji said.

"Oh. Then, leave."

Sanji stepped back and forth, hesitating. "Wait. I have a horse, which I´m willing to sell."

"A horse?" The innkeeper seemed interested.

He nodded eagerly. "Yes. It might be the best riding horse in the world."

The man brushed past him, out the doorway. "Where is it?"

He hurried out as well. _Oh no, not again. Not now. _"Damn it. I forgot to tie it up."

"´Forgot to tie it up´, huh? Idiot." The man shoved him aside, went back in, and slammed the door shut.

"Do you like fairy tale books?" he shouted at the door

"Get lost!" he heard the man yell from inside.

He sat down at the other side of the road, hoping that the door would open. He ate an apple. Nothing happened.

_I can´t dwell here any longer. There should be someone, somewhere, willing to take me in. _

He started to head back the way he had come.

* * *

><p>"Hey, missus, don´t you wanna come hang with us for a bit? It looks so boring, sitting all by yourself," the man whispered in her ear.<p>

"I´d rather be alone for the rest of my life than spend a minute with someone as impressible and shallow as you. No offense intended," Robin said.

The man scowled at her. "Forget it then. Stupid bitch." He returned to his table, and she returned to her drink.

"I´m sorry ´bout that," the bartender said. "The people that spend time here ain´t the nicest bunch."

"That´s common in a town of pirates, right?" she asked.

"This´s n_ot _a town of pirates. Everyone that come here are honest tradesmen. The soldiers stationed here don´t tolerate crimes. I recommend keeping distance ta the harbour, though. Just ta be safe," he told her.

"I´ll keep that in mind." She leaned a little closer to him, and lowered her voice. "Do you know much about what goes on in this town?"

He glanced at her. "Maybe."

"So, if there was, say, a place to come across certain items, you would know?"

"What kind of items are we talking about?"

"Magical."

Something in his eyes shifted. "Dunno anythin´ ´bout that." He went to another customer.

Robin sighed. Subduing a demon would require something more powerful than a sword. She had hoped to find something useful in a town with an infamous black market as this town had. But wherever she went, or whenever she asked questions, she ended up with nothing. People would frown at the word magic, and take off as she mentioned demons.

The door to the bar opened. A man rushed in, searching the room until he found his friends. "Hey, listen, something has happened!"

"What are you shouting about?"

He sat down at the table, and lowered his voice. But Robin still heard what he said. "One of the supernovas are here!"

"What´s supernovas?" a man asked, and immediately, everyone else glared at him.

"You don´t know who they are? Are you living under a rock?"

"I know everything I need to, already."

"Well, you should know about this too."

"Doubtful. But fine, tell me if you think it´s so big a deal."

"Right. There are eleven of them, one from each country on the mainland. And they are the strongest of all warriors!"

"They´re _not _the strongest! They´re commoners who are acknowledged for their fighting skills by the gods."

"No no no, it´s the leaders of each country who acknowledge them. They are granted special benefits. It´s something every human dreams about to have."

"But the supernovas aren´t human, though. They´re immortal."

"No. They´re more like, deities, or symbols, or something like that. And, they aren´t real."

"Yes, they are! I saw one of their ships, you hear me?! It had a special painting on the sail. And the ship was painted all in black."

"It´s just an impostor."

He shook his head. "No one would be insane enough to disguise himself as a supernova!"

"And why not?"

"Because..."

Robin left coins on the counter and went outside. There was a smell of salt in the air, coming from the sea. Even in morning, the port town was stirring with activity, and there were especially many street merchants. By the time she reached the harbour, she had politely declined to buy jewellery five times, umbrellas two times, and once even a suspicious-looking fish.

It wasn´t hard to spot the ship. As the man had said, all the wood on the ship was painted in black. She knew that it was no particular reason behind it, other than that the owner of the ship had an absurd want for attention.

As soon as she saw the ship, she did, however, hesitate. Her heart was still beating on an increased rate, but she couldn´t bring herself to approach. It felt like so long since the last time they met. Besides, there was something important she had to do. She turned to leave. And froze. Someone blocked her way.

"Sneaking around, are we?"

"Y-you..."

Law laid a hand against her face, cupping her cheek. "I didn´t think I would find you here."

She looked into his eyes - fierce, but still full of affection. All the thoughts she´d had earlier vanished. "I´m glad you did."

He took her hand. "Come."

She let him lead her past the crowd, and into a small, and empty, alley. A blush slowly crept onto her cheeks. She leaned against a wall, and he stood close to her - close enough for her to feel his warm breath on her skin. He pulled her let-out hair back behind her ears, and then cupped her face. "I missed you."

His words made her heart throb almost painfully. "That time, I left you. I´m sorry."

He smiled at her. There was no accusation in his eyes. She loved him for it. "That´s all in the past, Nico-ya."

She breathed out. "I missed you too." He leant forward, until their lips met. Warmth spread through her. She had really missed him. They pulled apart from each other, shortly gasping for air, before their lips crashed into each other again.

"You´re so beautiful," he whispered between kisses.

She placed her hands against his chest. He wore a rather simple black-and-yellow silk robe, covering most of his body. It was frustrating that when they met, he had to wear so much clothing. She felt him chuckle when she pulled at the fabric, sensing her impatience. He took a step back, creating some space to let his strong hands roam across her body, giving her pleasure even with all the clothing she was also wearing. She pulled him closer, wanting to touch him, to feel his skin against hers.

He pressed close to her, his body completely trapping hers against the wall. His legs intertwined with hers. She had to stifle a moan. She placed a hand on the back of his head, urging him closer, while the other moved down his back and to his hip. His mouth lightly nibbled at her ear, before delivering kisses down her neck, making her skin tingle with pleasure. She wanted to touch all of him, but there were too much fabric in the way. And they were still out in public, she had to remind herself. "Law."

His eyes met with hers again. Filled with want, just as hers. Still, he understood what she meant. He stepped back. A cold shiver went through her body; she already missed him again. She had to avert her gaze onto the ground. Finally, her breathing calmed. She looked back at him, and saw him studying her.

She straightened out her clothes. "Why are you here?" she asked, meaning his presence in the town.

"There´s no particular reason. Just selling some goods."

"For your honest trading-image?" she asked, remembering the words she heard earlier at the bar. ¨

"Yes."

"Where did you get those goods from then, Law-san?"

"If I told you that, I might have to kill you," he said, although she knew he was joking.

He had never outright told her, but she knew that he sometimes stole from other ships. That didn´t change what she felt about him. He was one of few people who had always been kind to her.

"That actually sounds like a lucky coincidence. I came here looking for a certain item."

"What is it?"

She didn´t look at him. "Something that can be used against a demon. To weaken it."

"What?" There was worry in his voice. "You´re going to face a demon?"

"Law-san..."

"I won´t help you. Not if you´re putting yourself in danger."

"Law! Listen to me!" She almost never rose her voice, but now she felt she had no choice. "There is something I have to obtain. Which means getting past a demon. I´m doing it with or without your help."

He was silent for a while. She hoped he wasn´t angry with her. Finally, his shoulders sagged, and he sighed. "Fine. I might have something you can use. It´s in the ship."

She smiled. "Thank you."

He didn´t return her smile. "Let´s go."

* * *

><p><strong>Author´s note: So everything is going bad for Sanji right now. But in tales, things will always get bad before they get better. And also, he isn´t very good at fighting. But he won´t always remain a "useless" character. And the supernovas exist in this story as well. Which means that Zoro is one as well. I will get into detail on that later.<strong>

**Sanji leaving the village happened about the same time as Robin´s encounter with Law. How Robin could get to a town that quickly? It´s not a plot hole. I´ll explain that later as well :) **

**Please leave a review. Also, this is the first time I write a romantic scene, so if you could tell me in what you thought about it, it might help me to write those scenes better in the future. **

**To those who review/favorite/follow: I thank you. You make me write faster, and update sooner. And since some were interested in ZoSan-pairing, I feel like adding it now, even though I wasn´t sure about it before beginning to write.**

**Have a nice day! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

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><p>Chapter 4.<p>

Before summoning the dragon king for the second time, Robin walked along the sea until she reached a place where the beach was fully deserted. She whispered the words that were familiar in her memory.

A spell was specific words directed to either an object or a creature, almost like a name. Only a person who knew who or what the words belonged to could successfully do the spell. Law had once told her that if you spoke the spell, it would always be heard by the intended target, no matter how far away it was.

She had asked him if every object and person had a spell. He´d said that that might be true, but most of the spells remained hidden. Figuring out a spell was almost impossible.

The summoning spell for the dragon had worked fine the previous time, but now nothing happened. Robin repeated it, with no result. She was about to say the words a third time, but stopped when she saw a man walking across the beach. She sighed, and sat down at a stone, waiting for him to walk past.

Judging from his appearance, he was a rather wealthy soldier. He had a red mark, perhaps avery unfortunate battle wound, around one eye. He wore a blue, multilayered jacket reaching to his knees, black pants, and sandals. His hat was rather tall, and his blonde hair reached almost to his shoulders. A large sword was tied to his belt. The far end of the hilt was embroidered with jewels, and on the scabbard was the picture of a dragon, circling the sword.

He walked towards her. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I just came to watch the sea," she answered.

"Mind if I join you?"

_Yes, I do. I´m expecting someone else._ She smiled. "I´m not sure that´s appropriate. I don´t know you," she tried.

"Don´t worry, miss; I´m no dangerous at all." He pointed at his expensive-looking sword. "This is just for decoration." She raised her eyebrows at that.

He sat down at the other end of the stone. She pressed her lips hard together, but couldn´t think of a way to get rid of him, without being impolite.

"The sea is truly beautiful," he said.

"It is," she agreed.

"So, you just came here for the view, then?"

She shrugged. "That´s pretty much it."

He looked at her from over his shoulder. "My name´s Sabo, by the way."

"Robin."

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"You don´t recognise me, it seems. I don´t know if I should be offended or not."

"I´m sorry, but I don´t remember ever meeting you."

"You have a terribly short memory, then. You complimented my home only yesterday."

When hearing his laughter, she suddenly understood. She hurried to in front of him, sitting down on her knees and dropping her head. "This foolish woman deeply apologises for her inattentiveness and impoliteness, Dragon King_._"

"You _have _to stop talking like that."

"Why do you look like a human?"

"There are many forms I can take, human included. I could stroll through cities as a dragon too, but it´s hard not to hurt people or destroy buildings when I´m that large." She stared wordlessly at him, and he added: "Oh, and I also frighten everyone."

A small, involuntary smile crept onto her lips, and she looked away. "Thank you for once again finding me." She couldn´t make the dragon appear by doing the summoning spell; the choice to come was still his to make.

"I didn´t think you´d have gotten so far already. Have you found anything useful?"

"Yes." She reached for her bag, and picked out a small object. "When put on, this ring can ward off attacks from demons for a limited amount of time."

He studied it. "A mediated deterrence spell. Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift." Her thoughts drifted to Law. He had offered to come with her, but she had told him not to. She didn´t want to involve him in what she was doing. Not when it could be dangerous. She still remembered what his lips felt like when he kissed her goodbye. "Its effect lasts for about fifteen minutes at most. I will wear it, go into the tower, get the books, and leave."

"It´s a stupid plan. You either won´t find the books you need in so little time, or you will get yourself killed. I _specifically told you_ to find a person to distract the demon."

"There isn´t a person who would willingly do something that dangerous."

"Willingly?" The dragon grinned maliciously. "I can be very persuasive. If you just pick a person, I will..."

"No! We´ll do this my way, first. If it doesn´t work, I´ll leave the tower before the time is up, and then we can think of something else to do." _Something not hostile._

"You´re telling me what to do now?" His voice sounded irritated all of a sudden.

_He´s just like Law. _Robin looked at him sternly. He was far less scary when he wasn´t meters tall and didn´t have fangs. "I´m telling you what _we_ will do."

He relented. "Hmph. Fine enough." He stood up. "We should travel to the Leifeng tower now." He stretched, and suddenly his limbs grew larger, and changed. The clothes he wore seemed to harden, and, along with his skin, shifted into dark blue scales. The lower end of his jacket turned into a tail, and thorns grew along his backside. His hair was a pale yellow mane. It took maybe one second, before his hideous true face looked at her. "Have you ever flown before?" his now darker voice spoke.

She closed her gaping mouth. "Is flying the quickest way to get there?" she asked, her voice shivering a little.

"Yes. And don´t worry, it´s not too uncomfortable."

If it was the fastest way, that was enough to convince her. She approached him slowly. "Where should I be?"

"Sit right behind my head." He bent down, waiting for her to get on.

She would have felt embarrassed at being that close to a man, other than Law, but a dragon didn´t count. _I can´t believe I´m doing this. _The scales was as hard as iron. At a closer look, she saw that they were gleaming, thanks to the sunlight. They were in fact beautiful. With a little more conviction now, she stepped up and seated herself. The neck was softer than some other of the scales, and sitting wasn´t entirely uncomfortable, as he´d said. She placed her bag securely between her knees. "Where is this Leifeng tower?"

"To the northeast." His body trembled as he spoke. "Less than an hour away. I will fly fast, so you should hold on to something."

She leant forward, and held onto his mane tightly. "Be careful." As the dragon took off from the ground, she closed her eyes, and made a wish she wouldn´t fall.

* * *

><p>Sanji had gathered dry sticks and piled them together. He hit a stone against another, trying to start a fire. Eventually, there was a spark. He blowed at the wood, and a small flame appeared. Satisfied, he proceeded to lay out a blanket on the ground, under a tree with many branches.<p>

It wasn´t evening yet, but he was getting cold. Maybe he was still feeling the effects from being in the cold river the previous day. He strongly hoped he wouldn´t get sick.

He hadn´t travelled very far since the incident with the innkeeper, but he was determined to cover a longer distance tomorrow. Hopefully even reach a populated area. He pulled his only loaf of bread in thirds, and ate one while saving the other two. The fire was steadily growing. For he first time that day, he felt quite satisfied.

An unfortunate wind from the east passed through his makeshift camp. The flames flared, and went out. He let out a heavy sigh.

Wanting a break from the firemaking, he went to a nearby stream he had found to fill his water bottle. Not that far away, the threatful howling of t least two wolves could be heard. As he quickly returned to the site, he saw a red glow between the trees. Someone had lit a fire when he was gone. At the other side of the high-reaching flames, a man was sitting, warming his hands.

Sanji emptied his water bottle onto the fire, making it die out. "A fire that large could attract animals," he said.

The man let out a husky laughter. "What, are you scared?"

He spotted a large sword lying next to the man. _Is he a bandit? _ He glanced towards his bag, but it looked untouched. He studied his face, and suddenly his breath stuck in his throat. He recognised those blue eyes, even though they now belonged to a human instead of a horse. It was a peculiar coincidence, but it didn´t mean anything, he told himself. He coughed behind his hand. "Who are you?"

The man stretched out his legs on the ground, and leaned backwards, holding his palms supportively against the ground. "Sorry for intruding here. I mean no harm. I go by the name of Sabo. Who might you be?"

"I´m Sanji. I´m just travelling through here, didn´t bring much with me."

"Same goes for me, I´m just here temporarily. So, where are you headed, Sanji?"

"I haven´t fully decided yet," he said.

Sabo nodded, and leaned forward. "This is very sudden, but there is something I need help with. Are you available for hire?"

"Uh, maybe? I have no skills in fighting, though," he said, thinking that was what he wanted help with.

"It´s nothing like that. It´s quite simple, actually. But if you´d help me, I promise that you will be greatly rewarded."

"I´m listening."

"Good. I´ll explain everything, then. For about a month ago, I accompanied my sister as she and her family travelled to the town where her husband just had gotten work. On the way through a forest, we were attacked by an evil demon. Most of us managed to get away, but my sister´s husband was killed and she was captured. I set out to find the demon and save my little sister.."

"That is a tragic story, but demons are just made up. They don´t exist."

"I understand if you don´t believe me. But, look at this." He pulled back hair that were hanging down the side of his face, and turned his head to the left, letting the sunlight hit it. Sanji gasped. A large, red scar surrounded his left eye and even covered a part of his cheek. The scar seemed fresh. "The demon gave me this, with its magic. It´s not a type of wound that a human could´ve caused."

He had a point. "I´m truly sorry."

"Are you interested in helping me?" he asked.

"As I said, I´m not a fighter. I'm not sure I could be of any help."

"I don´t need you to do any fighting! With the help of a friend, I tracked the demon, and found out it resides in a tower nearby. That must be where it holds my sister imprisoned. Since the demon is very strong, I have tried to come up with a way to save my sister without having to fight it." He reached into his pocket and picked out something small. "This ring holds the power to fool any demon. If you wear it, the demon won´t perceive you as an enemy, and thus won´t attack you. If someone was to use it and distract the demon, I could sneak into the tower and find my sister. Unfortunately, the demon has already seen my face; and also my companion´s face as we tracked it down. Because of that, the ring´s magic won´t work for either of us. Only someone that the demon hasn´t seen before can successfully use the ring."

"And that´s what you want me to do? Wear the ring and distract the demon?"

"I would be forever in your debt. My family is very wealthy. You´ll never be hungry again."

_Demons... And magical rings? He must be very stupid if he think I would believe that to be true. But if there is no demon, there´s nothing dangerous about going to this tower. He doesn´t look poor; it wouldn´t hurt getting on his good side, even if he´s crazy. And if there's really a woman in danger, I can't just walk away._

"I agree to accompanying you to this tower," he said. "But I can´t promise yet that I´ll help you. Not before I have seen it."

Sabo´s face lit up. "You can´t believe how thankful I am!" He stood up, and picked up his sword.

"Are we going already?" Sanji asked. "It´s getting rather late."

"There are yet hours to pass before sunset! My little sister is in danger, not one moment can be wasted." He waved to him. "My friend is not far from here. We should head back to her."

"Her?" he asked.

He grinned. "You´ll meet each other soon."

* * *

><p>Robin patiently waited for the dragon to return. He had landed far from the tower, so the demon wouldn´t spot them. After that, he turned into a human again, and left to gather something to eat. She assumed that he was vegetarian, and wouldn´t be hunting.<p>

She couldn´t get the tension out of her body. She could see the tip of the high tower above the trees. It was larger than she´d expected, and she didn´t know where the books would be. Just as the dragon said, it could get dangerous and she would have little time in finding the books. Maybe, if she went there during nighttime, when the demon was sleeping, she wouldn´t have to use the ring. To get some more time, she decided to only wear the ring when, or if she encountered the demon.

"Hey, Robin! I have good news!"

"Drago... Sabo-san!" He had asked her to call him by his human name from now on. "What is it?" She saw him approach from between the trees, and a shadowy figure behind him. She took a deep breath. _What is he doing here?_

_"_I found someone who wanted to help us!"

Sanji froze, hesitating. "Robin-san?"

"You know each other already? That's good. Robin was the one who helped me track the demon down."

"Track it?"

""Yes. That's what we've been busy doing these last days. Finding the demon. Right?" Sabo looked at her.

"Yes," she answered weakly. _What is he plotting? _

He gestured at Sanji. "I've told Sanji everything. Since it is impossible for any of us to wear the ring and enter the tower, he promised to do it."

"You... you want to help us?" she asked.

"I'll do anything for Robin-san!" He swooned.

"Can I talk to you in private?" she asked Sabo.

"Of course. But remember we're in a hurry. It can't take too long."

"What is this? Where did you find him?" she asked, as they were out of earsight.

"He was walking around in the forest. He must have left his village earlier. I just happened to bump into him."

"Sanji-san has nothing to do with this. We already agreed on what we´re going to do!"

He shrugged. "I asked him for his help. He said yes."

"Yet he doesn´t seem to know what is really going on. What lie did you tell him?"

"He is going into the tower, wearing the ring and finding the demon. But he thinks I´m there to rescue my sister, instead of you finding your books."

"Why didn´t you tell him the truth?"

"Because we can´t be sure he would help us if he knew that!"

She shook her head. "It is too dangerous. We can´t have him do this."

"He _wants_ to. Besides, it´s what he deserves."

"What do you mean?"

"He was almost _fishing_ _in my water. _I´m his karma coming back to him."

_The dragon king is a terrible person. _Robin succumbed. "Alright. But he can´t come to any harm."

"He won´t."

* * *

><p>The tower was surrounded by water. Only a slim path of mud led across the forest lake and to the tower´s gate. The tower was completely circular and the walls were made of white stone. It reached high into the sky; Sanji bent his head back to see the top of it, and didn´t see any windows.<p>

_It's odd that there's a building like that in the middle of a forest._

"You sure this is the right place?" he asked Robin and Sabo, who were crouching next to him.

"Yes."

"So I will just go in, look for a demon, and go back out after fifteen minutes?"

"That´s it. You still sure you want to do this?" Robin asked.

"Remember, we´ll pay you," Sabo added.

He nodded, and stood up. He had already gotten some money in advance. Previously having no money, now he at least had a little.

"Put the ring on!"

"Right, right."

He felt calm as he walked to the entrance gate, the mud squishing under his feet. This was the easiest thing he´d ever had to do to earn money. Robin of course wasn´t an idiot, but the description did fit well on the man.

Words had been carved into the door, but the letters were old-fashioned and he didn´t understand them. He looked back towards the forest, but no one was in sight anymore.

He pulled loose a piece of paper that covered the door handle, and proceeded to pushing the door open. It was really heavy, and it must´ve taken him at least a minute to have opened it wide enough to get inside.

The tower´s walls must have been at least half a metre thick. He pressed himself through a slim passageway, and ended up in a dark room. He stood still for another minute, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

The room was empty, apart from three doors that lined the wall, and a staircase, located in the middle of the room and circling upwards. _I should search through the tower, so I can tell them there was nothing here. _He glanced into each room, but found they were all empty. They could´v e been used as storage rooms earlier.

He started climbing the stairs. They seemed to reach straight through the tower, all the way to the top. The tower was almost conic, and turned smaller as it reached higher. Every room was getting smaller as well, and each one empty. Not one had a door leading to another room. Now and then he had to cough, because of dust that had gathered. By the time he reached the fourth level, he stopped.

_This is stupid. What am I doing? If Robin hadn´t asked me to, I wouldn´t still be here. _He heard a sound from the bottom of the tower. _Maybe Sabo had gotten into the tower now. I should tell him there´s nothing here. _

Instead, he continued to climb upwards. He didn´t think the top was too far away. He passed the fifth and the sixth level. As he neared the seventh, his head hit against something. He swore, and touched the wood above him. As he pressed on it, it moved a little. A door? He climbed closer, mustered more strength and as he pushed it, it swung upwards and to the side He was suddenly blended by a beam of light coming through a large window, with glass colored red and green. It must have been on the other side of the tower.

He crawled into the room, and then quickly scurried away from an insect. The room was empty, apart from some furniture located by the side far from the window. Panting slightly, he stood up and walked to the window, but the colored glass made it impossible to see anything through it.

Almost ten minutes should´ve passed by now. He turned, prepared to head back down, but he stopped. His mouth dropped open.

The scene in front of him was like a painting from a professional artist. Most of the light coming in was directed at the furniture, or more specifically, a bed. A woman was sleeping on it. And she was beautiful_. _

Her skin was pale white, glittering as silver in the light, and as smooth as porcelain. Every feature in her face - the small, red lips, the cheekbones, and even the nose - was simply perfect. Her tall hair was spread around her head on the pillow, like a black gloria.

She was wearing a very simple, white dress, but that did nothing to diminish her looks. Sanji had met many women, but not one had affected him as much. Just from one look at her, he could tell that she wasn´t a regular woman. More likely a goddess, or at least a princess. And just by being this close to her, he felt happier than he´d ever been before.

He walked closer to her, both hoping and fearing that she´d open her eyes. He saw her chest move up and down, as she slowly breathed, and he had to take a deep breath himself. He strongly tried to ignore all the not-so-decent thoughts going through his mind. He reached a hand out, and lightly touched her arm. Just as he did, her eyes snapped open.

He fell back, and she sat up, her eyes fixed on him. Her eyes were brown. He had never really liked the color, but now he was certain it was the most beautiful color in the world.

She slowly got off the bed, and neared him. The dress reached to her ankle, and her feet were bare. He stumbled backwards, almost tripping at the door he had opened, but managed to regain his balance. He finally backed into a wall, but still she followed, and stopped right in front of him.

"You´re afraid of me," she said. He was so surprised as she spoke with a regular voice - it made him eventually come back to his senses.

"It's not that."

She lifted an arm, and moved her closed hand towards him, but it stopped. All of a sudden, she looked a little annoyed. It only made her look more cute. "What is this? Why can´t I touch you?" she asked.

"What are you saying? You can touch me anytime you like!" _She´s so straightforward. I love it! _He sobered up, after remembering the danger that they could be in. "You can´t get away from here, am I right?"

"Yes. Me and my husband got separated, and a monster locked me in here! And now my husband is long since dead! It´s so horrible, I can´t take it!" She fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands.

He quickly bent down, and took her hands, removing them from her now tear-filled eyes. "Fear no more. My name´s Sanji; I´m here to help your brother rescue you."

"Rescue me? Really?"

"Yes! It´s just like in that story! I will be your prince and take you from this tower and defeat the dragon..."

"There´s a dragon here? Show me where he is! I´ll kill him!"

_She´s really tough as well. _"I´m not sure there is a dragon here, but there was one in the tale. And if there is, I will protect you!"

She looked at him. "Protect me? You?"

"Even if there´s a demon or ghosts or whatever, I promise that I will get you out of here safely," he said.

"You want to do this because I´m _beautiful_."

"Yes," he confessed. "But I also feel bad about you being locked in here. It´s not right."

"Here, use this before you overbleed," she said, and handed him a piece of cloth.

"You´re so considerate!" He pressed it against his bleeding nose.

She scowled. "It could spread everywhere." She walked over to the window, squinting her eyes as if trying to see through the glass. "Do you really want to help me?"

"Yes, as I said."

She turned to him. "If you escort me out, I will be free."

"Is your guardian not here?"

"Guardian? No."

"Let's hurry and go then." He gestured to the stairs. "The stairs are steep. I'll walk down first."

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><p><strong>Author's note: A lot of dialogue and sort of a cliffhanger ending in this chapter. It's pretty obvious who the person in the tower is. And Sabo is in this story too, as a dragon xd. I like that character so much. I apologise if he's ooc though. This chapter is also longer than those I usually write, but I think it suits this story.<strong>

**To Zosan-fans: I've decided there won't be a zosan-pairing in this story. As I mentioned before, I like their relationship in the manga. I originally did not plan writing a zosan-story. And a reviewer pointed out that there are many fics with this pairing already. I apologize for disappointing you, but hope you'll continue to read the story anyway. **

**Lawbin is the only pairing "set in stone" so far. I have more pairings, and stories with thease planned, which my fingers are literally itching to write, but as much as I want too I can't just add them randomly. **

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! All favs, follows and opinions are really inspiring.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author´s note: I´m sorry that the update took so long. My excuse is I´ve had a lot of school work to do lately. Latin and basically all anatomy, in a few weeks and even during the holiday :/. Anyways I hope you had a good christmas and new year of course! And hope you like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

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><p>Chapter 5.<p>

Sabo was standing at the path right outside the open gate, waiting, his arms crossed. He saw Robin looking through the three rooms inside in turn. "Do you find anything?"

"There´s nothing there. Nothing at all." She looked at the stairs. "I´m going up."

"No. It´s too dangerous."

She looked at him. "Why aren´t you coming with, then? You could protect me."

"I can´t go inside," he revealed.

"Why not?" she asked, confused.

"The sealing spell works to keep some persons out as well." He heard voices coming from further up the stairs. "Get out," he told Robin. "Stay behind me."

She hesitated. "What about Sanji?"

"Get behind me. Now," he repeated, and she moved to stand behind him. He pulled his tall sword out of his scabbard and held it up in front of him, the tip facing the tower entrance.

The man came down first. He noticed the sword at once. "There´s no need for that. The enemy´s not here," he said.

"Sanji, go out of there."

"Why? What´s going on?"

The woman didn´t make a sound as she jumped to the floor directly from the etage above, and landed between Sanji and the door. She turned to face them, her human face innocent-looking, but Sabo saw through the illusion. A gasp behind him told him Robin did as well.

"The demon," she whispered.

It stared at Sabo. "You look familiar. Who are you?"

Sabo ignored it. "Sanji, come here now." Sanji made a move forward, but the demon held an arm in front of him, stopping him. It wouldn´t let him pass. Sabo gritted his teeth.

"What´s going on?" Sanji asked again, probably sensing the tension in the air.

_The spell of the ring should still be working. The demon can´t hurt him yet. But if he doesn´t come out right this moment, it will. _"I will explain everything. Just get out here."

The demon turned to look at him, with plea in her eyes. "Don´t leave. You promised to save me."

"Of course I will," Sanji told her. He then looked at Sabo. "Lower your weapon." He reluctantly did.

Robin spoke again. "Please, Sanji, do what he says."

He started to walk again. The demon was forced to lower its arm, and suddenly looked frustrated.

"You promised!" the demon wailed, following him to the threshold, where he once again stopped. Sabo wanted to hit him.

"She is no real woman! She is dangerous!"

"You are deranged. Seriously, you should go to a doctor," Sanji told him. Suddenly, he reached back and hold the demon´s hand. "Come."

He stepped outside the door, his hand still holding the demon´s. Sabo breathed out in relief. _The demon can´t get outside. Sanji will be safe. _

A pair of bare feet landed on the mud. The demon was standing on the ground, past the threshold. _It´s not possible._

A large smile appeared on the demon´s face. "I´m finally free again!"

Sabo stood still for several moments, before he reacted. It _had _to be killed. He lifted the sword from the ground and swung it in one motion, aiming for its head. But he didn´t expect the former fisherman to have as good reflexes as he did. He suddenly stepped between them, and, before he could stop the attack, the blade dug itself into the man´s stomach. _  
><em>

Blood dripped to the ground, and he heard Robin yell behind him. Sabo stared at the man, now on his knees, in both terror and guilt. He didn´t pull out the sword right away, since it would worsen the wound.

"Help him!" he ordered over his shoulder at Robin. "Pull it out, and stop the bleeding." Robin neared them and took the sword. He moved to go around Sanji to reach the demon, but he grabbed his wrist.

"Don´t hurt her."

"You fool! Are you blind? She is not human, she is a snake demon!"

Being distracted, Sabo didn´t notice the attack coming his way. Her foot met with his stomach, in a kick strong enough to break ribs of a normal human. It send him flying back several meters, and landing on the ground away from the lake.

The demon didn´t give him a chance to collect himself, before coming at him again. In its eyes, he could see the bitterness and hatred accumulated through many years of imprisonment. It would not be easily defeated.

He got up and jumped away, barely dodging its incoming fist. When it faced him again, he had changed into his dragon form. A smile appeared on the demon´s face. "_Now_ I recognise you."

"I hoped you had perished in that tower already."

"That´s rude! We´re basically related, you know. Why can´t you just leave me alone?!"

Its eyes almost teared up, but Sabo didn´t feel sorry for it. "I´m almost glad you escaped your imprisonment. Now I have a chance to kill you." He lunged forward.

Meanwhile, Robin was trying to help Sanji, helding a ripped piece of cloth against his wound. She didn´t know how serious the wound was. The sword, its tip colored red, was lying next to them.

Sanji glanced at his stomach, and his eyes widened as he saw the blood. He glanced up at her, then twisted his neck to look at the two persons fighting.

"Don´t move," she told him, but he sat up anyways.

"I´m fine, Robin-san. Don´t worry." He reached for the sword, but she pushed it away.

"You have to rest," she said.

He stood up while clutching his stomach. His legs trembled a little but he managed to remain standing. Robin placed herself between him and the weapon. He could have shoved her aside and grabbed the weapon, but she was a woman, so he wouldn´t of course.

Still, the other woman was in danger. He looked at the battle again, and suddenly saw the man turn into something, that was either a giant serpent with legs, or a dragon without wings. Sanji wanted to think it was his imagination acting up again, but it was impossible to do that, especially since the dragon attacked the woman he had sworn to protect only minutes ago.

"Please lay down, Sanji-san," Robin pleaded, but he barely listened. He lowered the hand from his wound, and started to walk forward, or rather limp.

He wasn´t an expert, but both fighters seemed to be equally strong. It was hard to tell who did better. The dragon moved quickly, striking at the woman with its claws, but she held her ground well. She mostly dodged, but suddenly lifted her foot, landing a kick in the dragon´s side. It was powerful enough to force it to stumble sideways, and halfly turned. As it did, it waved with its tail at the same time. It caught the woman by surprise, and she jostled into the water. She was gone for some seconds, before returning to the surface, glaring at her opponent.

Sanji swore. In the water, she was at a disadvantage, and likely to get killed. He walked quicker, now almost running. He heard someone move behind him, but Robin was not as fast as him, even though he was hurt.

The serpent-dragon-creature tensed and opened its fangs, obviously preparing for another attack, aiming for the swimming woman. But before it got very far, Sanji reached it. He slammed into its body, right before it leapt forward. Being brought off-balance, it didn´t reach its target as intended. It landed instead next to her, and touched her only briefly.

That small contribution was enough to give the woman the advantage in the fight.

She moved so fast that Sanji barely saw what happened. First, her left arm grabbed the dragon´s mane, keeping it still. Then she sent a closed fist at about the side of its neck, making a crackling sound. It writhed in surprise and agony of the sudden attack. She grinned sinisterly, as if she had realised something. Still tightly holding the yellow mane, she opened her fist and scratched with her long nails firstly across one eye, then the other, causing red lines to appear.

She released her grip on the now blinded dragon. It waved around, maybe trying to hit her, but she avoided it easily. She lifted her arm, and there was another crackling sound as she landed another hit at the dragon´s neck.

She moved away from the dragon. "You´re centuries too young to stand a chance against me," she said.

Upon hearing her voice, the dragon turned its face towards her. It moved towards her, almost jumping up from the water, and she didn´t have time to dodge. In almost no time, it had pulled her underwater with it.

"No!" Sanji, wanting to help her, tried to stand up, but the pain overwhelmed him. Now, all he could do was wait and see what would happen.

The surface remained still, and Sanji´s worry increased by each second.

Black rose from the water. The woman pulled the wet hair from her face. Her other hand was holding the now completely still, bloodied body of the dragon.

He heard Robin panting from next to him. She looked very unaffected, considering that her friend, or so he thought, had just died.

The extremely strong, potentially dangerous, and very, very beautiful woman stepped back onto the shore. Robin took a firmer grip of the man´s sword that she was now carrying. "Do you want to fight me too?" The sword dropped to the ground. "Thought so." She sat down at a stone, and held her long hair, twisting it so that lake water dropped to the ground. She turned to Sanji. "You helped me defeat the dragon. I now intend to return the favor I owe you. Before my imprisonment, I practiced healing."

"Wait! He has nothing to do with this. You should leave him alone!" Robin said.

"I don´t care what you say. Without my help he´ll be dead within minutes. If that´s what he wants, then that´s fine by me," the woman replied.

He was in pain, more so than he had ever been before. He tried to keep his breathing shallow and calm, tried to focus on something other than his palms, which were now crimsom red. He felt wetness from the mud sip through his clothes and touching with his knees.

No matter who she was, she was probably his only chance to survive. "Can you do something?" He turned his head to look at her. Her face was mild, and had he not seen it with his very eyes, he would not have believed how powerful she was, and how terrifying she could be.

"Of course." She looked up at the sky. "Firstly, we have to move from here. If anyone finds out the seal around the tower has been broken, it will be dangerous to dwell here."

* * *

><p>As Sabo opened his eyes, everything was dark around him. He tried to move, and his movements were slow and sluggish. He realised then that he was surrounded by water. Luckily, he was good at breathing.<p>

He swam towards what he figured was up. He soon broke through the surface, and took in his surroundings.

Ignoring still corpses floating in the water, the scenery around him was beautiful. The sky was clear blue, yet free of both clouds and the sun. Everywhere around him in the water, there were bodies drifting. Their faces were hidden from view, turned down towards the water, so he could not tell what they looked like.

He started to swim towards the shore - a beach consisting of sand as white as snow.

There were no smells, no wind blowing through his hair... nor was there a sound to be heard.

Just as the air and the water, the sand was neither warm or cold. The dunes reached as far as he could see. Had it not been for the nonexistent temperature, he would have thought this was a desert.

The ground was bare from any kind of vegetation or buildings. The only object that could be seen was a person - a tall man wearing a dark robe, standing out very much from the light environment. His face was partly hidden by a hood. "Outlook Sabo?" he called out.

"How do you know my name?"

"I just know."

Sabo started walking towards him. "It´s been a good while since anyone called me by my birthname." He pulled his fingers along his clothes - those were the same ones he had lastly been wearing in his human form - and they quickly became dry. The water soaked the sand. "Terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Is this what hell looks like?"

"This is one of the most shallow levels. Because humen are recently becoming more interested in travelling on the seas, there are more drowning victims." He gestured towards the water. "I guarantee, there are places further down that aren´t quite as charming as this one."

Charming? He looked back at the floating corpses, and frowned. There must have been thousands of them. "I hope I´ll never have to see those places."

"Too bad I´ve come to escort you further down into hell, then."

Sabo pointed at himself. "You, who seem to know so much, should see that I´m immortal. I am not obliged to go anywhere with you. In fact, I have urgent business to attend, so if you would be so kind and show me the way back to earth right now, I´d be grateful," he said politely, but there was a warning tone in his voice. He was worried for what could have happened to Robin.

"There are some rules everyone have to follow. Considering the damages inflicted on your body, you will have to regain strength for at least two days. You´ll be bored, staying right here for two whole days. Also, if you only see such a beautiful place, hell could get a good reputation. We do not want that."

I don´t think there´s much chance for that to ever happen. The man was right in another case; he would get bored. "Fine, I´ll follow you."

"Good." They walked for a while, and the sand stretched out in front of them, never seeming to end.

"Hey, do you get bored?" he asked.

"What?"

"Being here, I mean. And being around dead people. It must be tragic."

"I never met anyone, who just died, asking me if I´m bored. I remember moments like these. They´re uplifting."

The ground was starting to slope downwards. Sabo had many questions, but decided on asking the most vital one. "Do everyone come here when they die?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Long ago, I lost two people very important to me. If I knew what happened to them... I think that would have meaning."

"Ah, yes. I think I know of whom you speak. Do you wish to see them?"

"See them? But, they´re dead."

"Their earthly bodies have perished, but in the underworld their souls last."

"If what you´re saying is really true, I´d like to meet Ace before Koala."

The man looked at him. Not until then had Sabo seen that his eyes were foggy white. "Sometimes, more harm than good can come out of revisiting those who are already dead."

Sabo stopped. "You just told me I could meet with my friends, and now you´re advising me not to?"

"I only want to make certain you know what you´re getting yourself into. Do you still wish to proceed?"

"I do."

The sand in front of them started to drop downwards like rain, creating a hole in the ground. The outlines of steps, made out of black stone, leading downwards appeared. Originating from somewhere in the darkness, distant screams could be heard.

"The second of seven levels?" Sabo asked, remembering something he heard before.

He nodded slightly in response, then gestured with his hand at the steps. "After you."

* * *

><p><strong>Author´s note: And that´s even more things added to this story... hopefully it is not too confusing. So, Ace, Sabo and Koala are dead. And Sanji is dying. And Robin didn´t find what she was looking for. The only good thing happening to anyone was for the demon, who is free again. Next chapter will likely be focusing more on Sanji.<strong>

**Hope you liked this chapter still. Please leave a review!**

**Here´s a OP characters and mythology theory that I have. It´s not very interesting, but it´s what inspired me to write this story... Sengoku is based on Buddha. Both Monkey D Dragon and ´dragon of the east´ Qing Long control the weather. And Marco could be the ´phoenix of the south´. I don´t know about the tiger and the turtle... Some strawhats resemble the Eight immortals (especially Brook and Robin). ****In "Journey to the west", Sun Wukong (monkey king) sometimes disguise himself as Lü Dongbin (Monkey Lu, get it?). Eight immortals leader, ****Lü Dongbin(=Luffy) had an affair with Bai Mudan(=Hancock), who was so beautiful that she was forgiven anything she did. **

**And of course, Luffy said he´ll "never die", which is sort of being immortal. Oh, and if Luffy really becomes immortal, that would be... epic?**

**PS: 2015 will be awesome year I believe. The dressrosa arc seems to be closer to ending. It´s been slow sometimes, but still one of the best arcs I think :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author´s note: A description in this chapter is written in italics. But it isn´t hard to recognise.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6.<p>

The thin mattress he was lying on could not be called comfortable. But Sanji didn´t complain about such a trivial matter. Not when his life was bleeding out of him.

"Drink this. It´s herbal tea." A hand supported his head, helped to lift it. The drink was warm and bitter, but after the first taste his throat burned, and he quickly emptied the cup. With a sigh, he lowered his head again.

The woman put the cup away, and laid down on the mattress next to him. She was lying on her side, and studied him. Her head was resting against her palm, and her dark hair hanged like a curtain around her face. She pulled it firmly behind one ear.

Despite all the pain he was in, he could still feel her breath against the side of his neck. It wasn´t unlikely that he would die, but he was certain there were far worse places where last moments had been spent.

"Can I get you anything else, miss Boa?" After their first meeting, Sanji hadn´t believed the owner of Leifeng Inn was capable to be kind, but he had obeyed the woman´s every order without complaint. Now he stood by the door, nervously twisting his hands, and showing off a large, stupid grin on his face.

"It´s drafty in here."

"I´ll see what I can do." She glared at him. "I´ll make a fire... and isolate the walls better."

She nodded. "Leave us." The door closed.

Fingers swept away loose strands of hair from his forehead, and she placed a hand against his skin. "You´re warm," she said. "You´ve lost fatal amount of blood. Does it hurt much?"

"I´m fine," he managed to speak.

"You´re lying." She put a finger against his bandaged stomach, and he let out a pained sound.

"Don´t do that, please…"

She continued to speak as if she didn´t even hear him. "I thought I would never leave that tower. But you, a regular human of all people, freed me. I ought to be happy, but the truth is I´m not even sure this freedom is what I want. I don´t know what will become of me."

"I don´t know, either. What I should do from now on, I mean. I kind of lost everything I had since yesterday... But I think of the future as an empty book, in which we write our own story. We take decisions, act upon our choices, and fill in the blank pages with what we want to."

"An empty book? That´s almost contradictory." She reached a hand backwards, and soon held the fairy tale book in front of him. "I read that story about a princess in the tower, that you mentioned. Was the reason you saved me because of some hero ideal you wanted to achieve?" He shook his head. "What is that to you then?"

"Helping you was mostly a spur of the moment thing. I don´t regret doing it, but I don´t want to be some hero. Working with something I like and can make a living of. Finding somewhere, or maybe _someone_, I belong to. Live life as well as I can." He looked at the wound. "That´s what I want, if I last to live another day, I mean."

She snorted. "Just what someone with a short life span would say. How disappointing, coming from the man who rescued me."

"What are your ambitions, then?" he asked, without sounding hurt. He didn´t even bother ask what she meant with a short life span. He was deadly tired on all those supernatural things, but after all he´d seen, he couldn´t keep on believing that he was merely surrounded by a bunch of crazy people (unless he was getting crazy himself, which he really hoped he wasn´t). He didn´t want to indulge in the subject anymore right now.

She took hold of his hair and turned his head to the side, so that he had nowhere to look but her. Their faces were close together. He swallowed. "I used to pity you. You humen, with your many weaknesses and strange desires and short, boring lives. But through my brief interaction with mortals I experienced true pain, and my pity turned into hatred." Her eyes glistened. "I wanted to kill. I wanted them all to bleed, to suffer. I wanted to tear their bodies apart and feast on their flesh. I wanted _justice_." Her gaze dropped to the floor, before she looked at him again. "Time tends to quench every desire. Locked in that tower, I eventually let my anger go. I´ve lost my bloodlust. All of it. Definitely. The sad truth is, there is nothing left that I dream of doing."

"... You said you could heal me. Maybe that would be a start?"

She giggled. "Maybe. It´s what I owe you, anyway." And she closed the distance between their lips.

Completely taken by surprise, he tried to pull away at first. But she was still holding his hair in an iron grip. The next moment warmth spread through him and he relaxed. There were so many words he could use to describe the sudden kiss; breathtaking, energetic, wonderful, intense and almost fiery... She pulled away too soon, after only some seconds, which brought him out of his temporary state of euphoric bliss. He reached weakly for her, but she had already stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Why did you do that?"

"I only gave you some of my life energy, to heal your wound. You´ll get to live that plain, pathetic life that you want, and we´re even."

"But..."

"You still have to rest." And she slammed the door shut.

She had taken the lantern with her as she left, so he was left with only his thoughts to accompany him in the darkness. The pain in his stomach was as good as gone. His face was still heating, and slowly, involuntarily, a smile spread across his face. This _did_ turn out to be a good day, after all.

* * *

><p>"You don´t have to do all that she tells you to. She´s just using you," Robin tried to convince the old innkeeper, but he had already made up his mind. He was running around the room, searching for what she assumed was tools.<p>

"It´s got nothing to do with her! I already intended to build a second outer wall. Gather the extra wood will take less than a year, building less than two. And it´s definitely worth it! It does get drafty here in the evenings."

Robin gave up, and sat down at a chair. "Is there any villages, or other people living around here?"

"We´re close to the border to the Goa kingdom," he said, while also panting. "There is a town past the forest to the north."

"Thank you." The man nodded to her and disappeared into another room. Robin decided to go and check on Sanji, but the demon blocked her way as it came strolling down the staircase. She squinted her eyes. "What are you doing here? I thought you were watching over Sanji."

"I told you, my name´s Hancock. And he is in no danger of dying. At least not anytime soon."

"How? What did you do?"

"I healed him, just as I said I would. Now he´s just resting."

Robin decided to go check on him later. Speaking to the demon was more urgent. "How did you get out of the tower?"

"New spells are stronger than older ones. The cursed ring worked against the imprisonment spell, long enough to let me past."

She closed her eyes briefly. "I should have foreseen it."

"Is it yours? Then you should take it." A small object came flying through the air, and Robin managed to catch the ring. "It´s not a beautiful accessory." The demon looked down at her body. "Speaking of which... I _must_ get some new clothes." She studied Robin. "Please don´t tell me those rags that you´re wearing are today´s fashion."

She ignored the last comment. "I want to talk to you."

"You always sound so grave." The demon sat down at a table, and crossed her legs. She sighed, and leaned her chin against one hand. "Go on."

"You lived in that tower for many years, right?" The demon didn´t answer, only kept staring at her. She continued. "Over the past years, I´ve been travelling all across the mainland in search of something known as the Tree of Immortality." There was an unmistakable spark of recognition in the demon´s eyes. "I recently concluded that what I was looking for was actually located on an island. I visited one of the dragons of the sea, and he told me there were books with information about it in the Leifeng tower. But alas, I found nothing there."

"You´re hoping I know something?" the demon asked.

She bowed her head. "It´s not little I ask of you, but please, if you happen to have any knowledge about it... I would be forever in your debt."

"Maybe I do know something. But you wanting to gain immortality is none of my concerns." She pulled fingers through her hair, as if combing out tangles that weren´t even there.

"I don´t have any selfish intentions! I helped you out earlier. Please, you have to tell me."

The demon paced forwards. She shoved Robin into a wall, on her way towards the door. "You _didn´t know_ you was helping me, so it doesn´t count. You should be thankful I´m sparing your life, even though you´re so annoying. Hopefully, we won´t see each other again." And she was gone.

As Robin tried to stand, her back ached, so she remained sitting on the floor for the next minutes. The man came back, and his eyes widened as he saw her. "Are you alright?"

She got up as gracefully as she could. "Yes," she lied. "I am retreating to my room for the night."

He nodded. "Where´s your lady friend?"

"She had to leave. And she´s not my friend." The disappointment at her words was written all over his face.

She opened the door to Sanji´s room, to find he was sleeping. For all that the demon was, Robin believed her words that she had helped the poor man.

Sleep didn´t come as easy to Robin. It was hours after midnight, when her restlessness finally settled. Yet even in her dreams, her memories and worries for tomorrow still affected her.

* * *

><p>The morning sun shone in through one of two windows, and its rays fell across the sheet just above his thighs. The pain from yesterday had subsided. He pulled the covers away, and then undid his bandages. Next to him was a large bowl with water and a towel, both left behind from the past evening. The water was cold against his skin, but not too much as he wiped the traces of blood from his stomach. There was a white mark from where the blade had cut through him. But that was all. He pinched his arm, making certain he was awake.<p>

He quickly washed and got dressed, in clothes that were still dirty and run-down. The hallway downstairs was empty, but as he went outside, he saw the innkeeper sitting in front of a fire, his back facing him.

"Hello," he said stiffly, remembering their first meeting when the man had threatened him. He turned around, and his eyes dropped almost immediately.

"Feeling better already?"

"Yes. Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Was no trouble at all. The lady that carried you here was very lovely."

"Yes, she was. Have you seen her?"

"No, she left yesterday."

"She left?! Do you know where she was going?"

"Can´t say I do." He turned back to stir the contents of a pot hanging above the fire. "Took off without a word, she did. Might be heading towards a town north of here, though. That´s where the road leads."

He nodded. "Do you know where Robin is, then?"

"Miss Nico may still be sleeping."

Sanji threw a longful glance at the pot, but he wouldn´t ask the short-tempered, and rather violent man for food. It wasn´t worth the risk to get another injury. Instead he headed back inside. Robin came stepping down the stairs just as he entered.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked, seeing her tired eyes and dark lines beneath them.

"I´m fine, Sanji-san. And it seems you are feeling better today."

"I am, actually. Hancock helped me."

"That´s good." She produced another one of her small, impassive smiles, and seated herself at the only table in the room. Sanji sat down opposite her, and for some minutes, neither of them moved. Robin´s eyes were directed down at the table surface, while Sanji studied a large painting of a white tiger in a bamboo forest, hanging on the wall.

"You must have many questions," Robin finally said.

"I have some, yes."

"And I owe you answers. Please, go ahead."

He met her eyes. "What are you? And, I absolutely mean no offence with that question, Robin-chan," he started.

She understood what he meant. "I´m a regular human."

"And the man called Sabo?"

"He is a god. One of the gods of the sea, to be more exact. A normal human, who was granted to drink the elixir of immortality, and have gotten mightier ever since. Which means even if he´s killed, he won´t die."

"What about Hancock, then?"

"She is a demon. She is immortal, but she isn´t made of flesh and bones, like humen. They are looked down upon by almost everyone, and many of the gods want to banish all demons to hell from where they originate. They are considered dangerous. A threat to the peace established by the gods. But it is all a very fragile system." Her eyes turned dark as she spoke, and it was obvious this was not something she agreed with very much.

"Is that why Sabo attacked her?"

"Maybe. But I suspect there is some other conflict between them."

"I have only one more question. Why did you go to the tower?"

She hesitated for some moments, before speaking again. "I´m looking for a peach tree. A unique one. Its fruits are rumored to be very valuable. I thought there were clues to its existence in that tower, but I didn´t find anything." She bit her lip. "But the demon was imprisoned there... I feared she would have killed me. You were supposed to keep her busy. I´m truly sorry, Sanji. We never intended to put you in danger, but you got hurt badly. None of my excuses are enough."

Sanji couldn´t say it didn´t matter, because it did; he nearly died. And all because they used him. But Robin looked really guilty about it, and his irritation subsided as quickly as it arose. "All makes more sense now." He tapped his fingers against the wood. "And you´re really just a human?"

She chuckled. "I promise."

"Are you hungry?" The man appeared by the threshold. "I´ve just finished making vegetable soup for breakfast."

"That´s very kind of you. If it isn´t any trouble, I would love to have some." Robin stood up.

"It´s none at all! As my guests, it is my duty to serve you."

It was obvious he meant Sanji as well. So he nodded, and followed him outside, where they received a bowl each. The morning was warming, and the sun lit the treetops around them beautifully. They conversed as they ate; it was easier to talk to Robin now than before, since she seemed more relaxed and opened up a little. Maybe it was because they knew each other a little better.

As their meal had almost come to a close, Sanji revealed his intention of leaving as soon as possible. Robin looked surprised, but the innkeeper wished him luck with an almost relieved smile, although Sanji didn´t know what reason he had to dislike him.

Robin followed him as he went back to his room, to retrieve his items.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"North, to a town the man mentioned. I have to find a job, before winter comes. What will you do?"

She looked down at her feet, clearly unsure. "I don´t know, what tomorrow will bring. But I will continue to travel, until I find what I´m looking for."

"You can come with me to the Goa kingdom. A woman shouldn´t travel alone," he said.

"No. This is where we part ways. I have a talent for causing trouble to those around me. I think that what happened to you and Sabo was a sign of sorts. It´s best if I travel alone. But, don´t worry about me Sanji-san," she said, smiling.

She was good at hiding her emotions, but he could see the sadness behind the mask, and felt sorry for her. He wanted to say what happened wasn´t her fault, but that might be a lie, and maybe wouldn´t make her feel better. "You shouldn´t have to," he said at last.

"I´m not going in the same direction as you, in any case," she replied. She reached for her bag. "If you want, you can take this. It might be worth some money. It´s a tiny compensation, but it´s more than nothing." She held out the ring to him in her open palm.

"Thank you, Robin-chan! You´re as kind as you´re beautiful!" He swooned just a little.

"This is goodbye, then." She tilted her head to the side, and closed her eyes a little. "I wish you the best of luck on your travel, Sanji-san. May the gods be with you."

* * *

><p><strong><em>One day earlier, in another place...<em>**

_In the outskirts of Goa kingdom, far from the influence of the king and nobles, lies a large town known as the Cloud village. Because of many high mountains surrounding the valley where the town is, the sky is often covered by clouds hindered to drift away, and the sun rarely shows. The ones who have the power are not nobles, but instead rivalling gangs, who each control a part of the town. Out of the gangs, the two most powerful are the Black and the White wolves. For the past years, they have successfully avoided engaging in larger battles with each other, to the relief of the townspeople._

_Today, a traveller, a member of the most powerful and widespread Axe gang, arrives to the Cloud village, to make a deal. The leader of the Black wolves invites him for a meal at the top floor of a restaurant._

The member of the axe gang didn´t look very impressive. He was young, surely not more than twenty years old, and dressed in clothes more suited for parties than battles. His yellow hair reached only to about his ear, and was cut in a very accurate line all around his head. Only the fringe was shorter to show more of his forehead. He didn´t have a beard either. His body was slim rather than brawny. Instead of a sword, an axe was strapped to his belt. It was a small, as well as the only proof that this man belonged to the most notorious and dangerous gang in the whole country.

It was a sharp contrast to his own black, bushy hair, tall moustasche and dark leather armor. But the leader of the Black wolf gang wasn´t stupid. He knew how much power this man had, even though it didn´t show.

After the food was delivered to them by beautiful waitresses, they began their conversation. "You made me leave my body guards outside," the man said.

"It´s a normal occurence. I mean no offence, nor do I mean to threaten you."

"If you threaten or harm me, you would be dead within a month. My father would see to it."

"May I ask for your name?"

"I´m Helmeppo," the man answered nonchalantly, while shuffling noodles into his mouth at the same time. "And who are you?"

"Jyabura."

"Such a primitive, unrefined name. Not to mention ugly. But you _are_ a wolf, so I guess it suits you."

He bowed his head, covering his face in shadows and expertly hiding the annoyance that might have shown. He had left his weapon outside, in respect for the visitor. But he wouldn´t need any metal to snap the man´s neck.

He closed and opened his fists, trying to control his temper. It went completely unnoticed by the man sitting opposite him. "I am surprised that a small, distant gang like mine would catch the interest of the nation´s greatest. What is the reason behind you honoring us with your presence?"

"Profit making. What else?" He set the empty bowl down. "Mines are being exploited more recently. Yet the mountains this far north have remained untouched. Maybe because the dangers here, or a lack of knowledge about the environment here. There are treasures to be found in them mountains. Our request is simple. You have knowledge over these lands, and Cloud village is a good base for workers to live. If you would give us safe refugee here, and guide us through the mountains, we will bring the manpower, in form of slaves, necessary for the mining."

Jyabura had to acknowledge the triad member for at least getting down to the subject so quickly. "That does sound interesting. What's in it for us?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present time<strong>_

Zoro looked around at the people strolling around him. "Where the hell am I?"

A man sitting on a bench next to him laughed. "It seems you just arrived here. Well, I should tell you then. Welcome to the Cloud village!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author´s note: <strong>**So, another arc was introduced. Zoro will hopefully "be in it" a lot, and also more one piece characters will be added next chapter. And there will be fighting... **

**I included a brief description of what demons and gods are like in this story, which was necessary. About the healing Hancock did... I didn´t describe it in the chapter, because it would not be very interesting I think, but "life energy" is actually based on the mythological yin energy, one of the energies in the body, which is the female energy and said to have healing properties. But that is as much as I know about it. **

**I wish wuxia, or martial arts was a possible genre to choose for fanfiction. It would make sense especially for all the action manga series.  
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**I hope you liked this chapter. I thank for all the support so far. And please, please tell me what you thought about this chapter. Or if there are any particular characters you want added to the story (I´m open for suggestions). **


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